Broadcom has now made VMware subscription based.

A good time for the competition to step up. Hopefully there is some that can compete.

 

I honestly forgot that you could buy a lifetime license for VMWare Workstation, should have done it. The only alternative is VirtualBox.

 

They were quite expensive and only valid for one major version, that was only supported for 1,5 years after release afaik. You had to buy a new version after that to get security updates.
But all of that is no longer an issue with it now being free for personal use

That's great!

 

OK I see, didn't know this. I remember that 15+ years ago I used it, can't remember if I paid for it. Or perhaps I got a deal via school or something. I used it mainly for testing security software and malware.

This is indeed freaking awesome news! Very generous of Broadcom, and I'm sure it's also a tactical move, because they know that VirtualBox is probably quite popular.

 

Direct download link for folks who wish not give their whole life story to Broadcom:
https://softwareupdate.vmware.com/cds/vmw-desktop/ws/17.5.2/23775571/windows/core/

 

What stops you from using a key you can easily find for free out there?

 

Thank you. Do you know the difference between that "Core" version (260 MB) and "Full" version (620 MB)?

 

Why does the VMware Desktop Hypervisors require a corporate email address in order to subscribe? There is a pre-cart elegibility check page on CloudVista that asks for the company name and corporate email address. It won't accept a personal email address and displays a red message "Your email address doesn't meet the requirements for purchase. Note that VMware Desktop Hypervisor Pro is free for personal use, and can be downloaded at support.broadcom.com."

 

I didn't know there were free serial keys available, you would think that such big companies were a lot stricter. But I haven't actually used VMware Workstation in quite some time.

Thanks.

Where do you see two different versions?

So you can not install it without corporate email address? Not even when you download it via direct link? So without having to signup on the Broadcom site?

 

Core (260 MB): https://softwareupdate.vmware.com/cds/vmw-desktop/ws/17.5.2/23775571/windows/core/
Full (620 MB): https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/VMware-Workstation.shtml

 

OK I see, this is indeed weird. I couldn't find any info about full and lite versions.